1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a control valve assembly for multiple outlets formed as a unitary structure, and more specifically, this invention relates to a unitary structure having dual valves for controlling the inflation and deflation of inflatable air bags.
2. Description of the Prior Art
High pressure inflatable air bags, such as those shown in the co-pending application of Howard Leibovitz filed on Sept. 13, 1982 for an "External Clamping Device for Inflatable Air Bag", U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 06/424,312, have many applications. One very significant application is the use by emergency units to lift or move heavy objects or to break or distort the shape of some item. As just one example, reference may be made to an automobile accident in which the inflatable air bag may be used to lift an automobile or a portion of the automobile off of an injured person; to force open a door or break out a window to permit access to the interior of an automobile; or to bend a portion of an automobile that is entrapping an accident victim.
While not limited to the emergency situation, it is graphically clear that in many emergency situations more than one inflatable air bag may be needed to accomplish the desired purpose. Each of the air bags may be inflated from its own source of compressed air, or one source of compressed air could be utilized to sequentially inflate the air bags. However, in the first of these approaches there is the necessity of having more than one source of compressed air, which adds to the required equipment. In the second approach, the time lost in sequentially inflating the air bags could be very critical in many applications, not just in an emergency situation.
Accordingly, it would be very desirable to be able to simultaneously inflate two or more air bags from a single source of compressed air. At the same time, however, it is also desirable, if not necessary, that the inflation of each of the air bags be separately and independently controllable. Thus, for example, in order to accomplish a desired goal it may be necessary to inflate one of the air bags faster than the other to keep a weight being lifted from shifting improperly, to apply a differential force to achieve a desired bending action, or a variety of other reasons.
In addition to being able to separately and simultaneously control the inflation of two or more air bags, it is also desirable to limit the size of the control mechanism and to make it easily operable by one person. Also, to minimize the possibility of the units becoming separated and misplaced, as well as simplifying the handling, it would be highly desirable to have the multiple controls assembled as a single unitary structure.
Still further, in many applications, again using the emergency situation as an example, there are frequently many tasks that have to be accomplished in a very short period of time. Therefore, if the control has a "positive on" setting, the operator may be tempted to provide assistance in some other area during inflation. If the operator becomes involved in the other task, the air bag could expand to a greater degree than wanted or some problem could develop with the inflating process that could threaten the success of the endeavor. Accordingly, it would also be very helpful to ensure that the inflating, or deflating, process is discontinued if the operator is not actively proceeding.